Shadow Bill put a hand to Gix's forehead as a memory flashed before his eyes.
He saw the bright and colorful trees and flowers of the Feywild, its Twilight Sun casting a warm glow across everything.
A small clearing among the trees was visible, a single boulder with a vein of pearlescent material running through it in the center. Suddenly the quiet of the forest was interrupted as a young Gix, covered in blood, appeared several feet in the air in ripped clothes, clutching an amulet. He fell to the ground suddenly and laid there, his fingers gripping the fallen leaves as he sobbed. He then pushed himself up to his knees as he let out a primal scream that filled the area, echoing throughout the trees.
When his throat became raw, he slumped again, staring at the amulet in his hands until he heard a sound behind him. He spun around quickly to see a figure sitting on the boulder. There sat Bill, their pale skin almost matching the pearlescent vein. Their gray hair and golden robes moving as if underwater.
"Well, I know you can sing better than that, Gix," Bill said, their eyes looking over the Satyr. "If not, then the Materials have sure let their standards drop."
"W-who are you?" Gix asked, pushing himself up to his hooves. "How do you know me?"
Bill smiled and shrugged.
"That's a long story," they said flatly. "But that amulet doesn't belong to you. It was a boon given to another. I'm guessing you did not know that it would summon me here, just that you'd return home back to a family I presume?"
Gix stared back for a moment and clutched the Amulet.
"I don't have a home anymore... Or a family," he said, his voice sullen. "Because of their laws... Their godsdamned rules."
Bill's eyes narrowed as they leaned forward on the boulder, their form shifting several times back and forth between a soldier in bloodied armor, a jester, and for a flash, a shadowy figure before settling on the jester. Their arms began to move, and balls began to fill the air in many directions as Bill juggled them all.
"And what do you want to do to those laws? Do to those who are bound to them?" Bill asked, giggling.
"I..." Gix clutched the Amulet tightly, his knuckles turning white as he grit his teeth. But then he suddenly softened, lost in a memory of his own. "I... Want them to know there's another way. I want to get them to break their rules. But... I can't help but feel so angry."
Bill laughed and fell backward off the boulder. Gix lunged forward to try and catch them before they fell, but he felt a hand on his shoulder holding him back. Bill was standing there, back in his full moon attire.
"What if I made you a deal to give you the powers you needed to trick anybody you wanted," Bill asked sternly. "You would go out there and cause all the mischief you want in my name. Turn folks to a life less rooted in those stuffy laws. Maybe saving the lives of future troupes that may not follow every law so perfectly. Avenge them so their deaths mean something."
Gix stared back at them.
"What would you want in return?"
Bill smiled.
"You can always trust a Fae to know there's a give and take. Two things: one of them upfront and the other... Well... At the end of our contract."
Gix nodded, listening.
"Firstly, as collateral I need any collection of memories that you hold dear. You may choose the memories," Bill said before waiting for Gix to acknowledge. Once he did, Bill continued. "And at the end of your contract... Your soul will join with mine and you will become one of my many forms. You will live on as part of me. You will be The Performer."
Gix took a step away from Bill as they said this, but Bill stood still.
"I don't know..." Gix said.
"It's your choice. You could just move on, become another Satyr in the Feywild spying on Nymphs..." Bill said dismissively. "Or... You can avenge the deaths of your friends the way they would have wanted you to. By tricking those that deserve it, and helping those that need it until you're on the grandest stage in Satyria."
Gix stared at the Amulet again for a long while before stepping forward.
"Okay, I'll do it," he said confidently. "I've chosen my memories."
"Tell me," Bill said, smiling wide.
"I'll give you the memories of my troupe... My time with my friends," Gix said shakily. "If I keep them... I don't think I'll be able to hold myself back from hurting people."
Bill nodded.
"Focus on those memories and clutch the Amulet," Bill said to him.
Gix held the Amulet as it began to glow with moonlight. After a few moments, Bill took it from him and Gix looked up at him with a smile. With a snap of Bill's fingers, Gix was cleaned of blood and in performers' clothes that Gix inspected carefully.
"Huh... Not really my style, Billy boy, but I think I can make it work," Gix said cheerfully. "I've worked with a few troupes in my day, so I can make anything work!"
"I'm sure you will, Gix," Bill said as he put the amulet around his neck. "We've got a lot of work to do."